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Viral Fundraiser Tops $1.6 Million for 88-Year-Old Michigan Cashier

A TikTok encounter with an Australian influencer turned a local hardship into a $1.6 million campaign.

Overview

  • Donations on GoFundMe have surpassed $1.6 million within days, with contributions coming from around the world.
  • Organizers plan a surprise presentation at Ed Bambas’s Meijer workplace in Brighton, Michigan, on Friday.
  • His son says Bambas does not yet know the full amount raised and believes the money will allow him to stop working.
  • Bambas says he returned to full-time cashier work after losing pension income and facing heavy medical costs from his late wife’s illness, which forced him to sell his home.
  • Influencer Sam Weidenhofer traveled from Australia, tipped $400 during their filmed meeting, launched the fundraiser that went viral, and organizers say a secure trust is being set up for the funds.